Bengals, NFL face suit over stadium

CINCINNATI, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- The owners of the Cincinnati Bengals and the NFL are preparing for a lawsuit stemming from overcharges in building Cincinnati's Paul Brown Stadium.

A federal judge ruled Monday a Hamilton County taxpayer's anti-trust lawsuit against the Bengals and the National Football League could proceed, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported Tuesday.

The Bengals and the NFL had sought the dismissal of the suit filed by resident Carrie Davis.

His suit alleges the NFL violated state and federal anti-trust laws by using trade restraints to force Hamilton County to pay far more to build the stadium than a free marketplace would have demanded.

Filed as a taxpayer's action, the lawsuit asks for $200 million in damages.

The county owned stadium, which opened in August 2000, cost about $458 million to build -- $50 million more than estimated.

In his ruling Spiegel wrote, "Davis clearly alleges -- in substantial detail with numerous supporting facts -- that the defendants were able to coerce the construction of a new stadium and negotiate unjustifiably favorable lease terms solely because of the monopoly that they enjoy over professional football; indeed, it would be difficult to conceive of a complaint alleging a more detailed and direct connection."